1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal structure provided on the inside of an electrical component part such as a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bus bars in the form of a plurality of pins are used as the internal circuits of some electrical component parts such as connectors. Such a bus bar must be prevented from being brought into contact with an adjoining bus bar. Consequently, a required number of bus bars are inserted into a mold and the bus bars thus inserted are resin-molded to fix the bus bars.
FIG. 3 shows conventional circuit members 1 and 2 for use in insert molding. The circuit member 1 has a plurality of bus bars 3 and the circuit member 2 also has a plurality of bus bars 4. In this case, the circuit members 1 and 2 have coupling portions 5 and 6 respectively in order that adjoining bus bars 3 and 4 are coupled together with a space provided therebetween. The coupling portions 5 and 6 are provided on the respective one end sides of the bus bars 3 and 4, the other end sides of the bus bars 3 and 4 being used as free ends 3a and 4a. Furthermore, the bus bars 3 and 4 have connecting portions 9 and 10 respectively (see FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c)), the connecting portions 9 and 10 being connected by wire bonding to a printed circuit board or the like. The connecting portions 9 and 10 are respectively plated with conductive materials such as gold so as to carry out wire bonding.
In order to form an internal circuit of an electrical component by the use of the aforementioned circuit members 1 and 2, the procedure shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) is followed. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the free end 3a of the bus bar 3 of one circuit member 1 is inserted and set into a positioning hole (not shown) of a bottom force 7 first. Then the free end 4a of the bus bar 4 of the other circuit member 2 is inserted into the positioning hole of the bottom force 7. At this time, the other circuit member 2 is kept floating from the bottom force 7.
As shown by an arrow in FIG. 4(b), the bus bars 4 of the other circuit member 2 are fitted in between the bus bars 3 of the one circuit member 1 by sliding the other circuit member 2 downward so that the circuit members 1 and 2 are set in the same plane. Then a top force 8 is lowered as shown in FIG. 4(c) to effect clamping and resin is injected into the mold for hardening thereafter. Thus, the bus bars 3 and 4 are fixedly formed to provide a terminal structure. The coupling portions 5 and 6 of the circuit members 1 and 2 are removed by cutting after the resin-molding process is performed.
However, the bus bars 3 and 4 are caused to rub against each other in the process of forming the conventional terminal structure when the circuit members 1 and 2 are successively set in the bottom force 7 before the bus bars 4 of the circuit member 2 are fitted in between the bus bars 3 of the circuit member 1. The rubbing poses a problem in that the conductive materials used to cover the connecting portions 9 and 10 of the respective bus bars 3 and 4 come off or scratches are made on the surfaces of the bus bars, which results in faulty wire bonding.